June
by Psychic Creed
Summary: A TMNT fanfic for all of you girlie Turtle fans! April's neice June is in town and befriends the boys quite unexpectedly...
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

"Hey guys!" a voice rang over the din of the sewer. "Guys! I'm here and I have some really cool news!" Slowly, a woman made her way down a small ladder into the empty, but illuminated main room. "Donny? Mikey? Leo? Raph? Hey, where is everybody- I want to share the news!"

"April!" A voice rang out- it was Michelangelo. "So what's up? What's all the yellin' for?"

"Oh, Mikey!" April dashed forward, giving her green friend a big hug. "I just got the greatest news!"

"Yeah, that's what you keep sayin'-" Raphael cut in as he entered behind Michelangelo. "So why don't you just tell us already?"

"Cool it, Raph," Leonardo said as he followed Raphael with Donatello at his side. "Can't you see she's excited with whatever the news is?"

"Okay, here's what's up-" April said as she raised her hands as if trying to stop the excitement from spilling out of her. "My older sister May is letting my niece visit me for the whole summer! Isn't that awesome?"

"Humph," Raphael said, turning his shelled back and walking away, "Some excitement…"

"Raph!" Leonardo snapped. "_I_ think it's awesome, April."

"Now, here's a question, April," Donatello popped in, "For the sake of sounding like Raph, what exactly does this have to do with us?" His two brothers nodded and muttered in agreement.

"Well, this is the _really_ cool part-" April said, with a big smile on her face, "I want you to meet her!"

"_What?!_" Raphael shouted, turning quickly on his heel and walking back to the group. "April- have you not _seen _us? We are freaks! We are six-foot, muscle-bound turtles who can speak fluent English!"

"And a little Japanese," Donatello added, causing Raphael to shoot his a glare.

"So please tell me," Raph continued, his temper starting to rise, "why do you think this niece of yours would want to meet _us?_"

April looked a little hurt by Raphael's bluntness. "I…I just thought that you wouldn't mind hanging out with someone your age…"

"Dude!" Michelangelo piped in, "she's _our_ age! Sweet! So be honest now; is she a babe?"

April laughed, "Yes, she is _very_ pretty, Mikey." The three brothers started chattering amongst themselves about the cute girl coming to hang with them, when Raphael cut in again, "Guys! Did you not hear what I said?! What makes you think she would be interested in hanging with us let alone being flirted with? She's a teenage girl- you've seen how picky they can be when it comes to guys, let alone mutants like us…" The excited chatter stopped and was followed by sounds of agreement.

"Oh, I don't think you have to worry about that, Raph," April said flatly, "my niece is surprisingly open to different ideas and is accepting to everyone." This cause the other boys to start chatting excitedly again.

"But we are _turtles!_" Raphael shouted again, "We aren't even on the same _species!_ What is the _matter _with all of you?!" Raphael shouted and with that, stormed out of the room.

"Ohhh…." April said, sinking into the nearest chair, "I thought this was a good idea… but I guess not…" She then leaned forward and put her head in her hands. "And she was really looking forward to meeting you guys, too…"

"Hold up," Donatello said, "You've told her about us?"

"Well, to an extent, yes," April said, raising her head and looking at her purple-bandannaed friend. "I haven't told her what you look like or anything, but she really seemed interested in the kind of people you are, and that's usually enough to make her go the extra mile and befriend you."

"This young girl may be just what the boys need," a voice said. Everyone turned around to see Splinter the Rat entering the room. "My sons have not had much contact with the outer world, and none what so ever with young women of their own age. Though their training is still extremely vital, I'm sure meeting a nice girl such as your niece could help them on the road to maturity."

"What do you mean, Master Splinter?" Michelangelo asked, looking a little confused.

"One can only travel so far on his own. He will then need the help of his brothers to continue on, creating a bond that is very important for when he is of age. However, when the traveler is approaching his destination, having the help of his brothers may not be enough, for they will still have to interact with those opposite of himself, thus creating another laborious journey."

"In other words," Donatello explained, "we can reach a masculine maturity, but we would have to re-learn how to act around women-"

"Because we would be way too macho!" Leonardo said,

"Yes," Splinter continued, "it is important to create harmony among others once we are of age. That is one of the aspects of ninjutsu- preserve and create harmony-"

"By way following tradition and preserving balance," Leonardo finished. He was finally getting what Splinter was saying. "Well, honestly I don't have a problem with meeting her. Besides, I'd love to have someone new to be around," he said, shooting a look at his brothers.

"Yeah, really," Michelangelo said, "_anything_ would be better than putting up with Raph's tantrums all the time."

"_I heard that!_" Raphael shouted from his room, causing everyone to smile.

"So, April," Donatello continued, "You've told your niece about us, so why don't you tell us a bit about her?"

"Oh, gosh, I didn't even think about that!" April said, looking a little embarrassed. She lifted her head and arms off of her knees and sat back in the chair. Raphael, who had been hiding in his room, inched to the edge of the doorway and listened into the conversation, arms folded on his chest. "Well," April started, "she's about your guys' age, and she is very pretty, like I've said."

"Yeah, we know," Donatello said, getting a little antsy. "But what is she into?"

"Yeah," Leonardo said, "I mean, I'm sure we have got _some_ things in common with her."

"Well, that's why I wanted you guys to meet her so badly," April said, a sparkling smile on her face, "She is into EVERYTHING that you guys are into!"  
"No way!" Michelangelo shouted happily. "She is into _everything _we're into?!"

"Yup!" April said, her smile getting increasingly bigger. "Mikey, she is into video games, she knows quite a lot about skateboarding, and she is a self proclaimed connoisseur of pizza."

"Yesss!"Michelangelo shouted, doing his own little victory celebration, "_Finally_ someone exactly like me!"

"What else?! What else?!" The other two said anxiously. _Yeah, what else,_ Raphael thought to himself. _This chick sounds too good to be true…_

"Well, her father Richard is involved with a large corporation and they have visited Japan a lot," April went on. Leonardo brightened at this news, "Really? I _love_ Japan! Like, the culture, and music, and food, and clothes and-" "I know!" April said, "She's also quite into her own martial arts training… I don't really remember what it is though. She also knows a lot about the Japanese culture- her dad always has business there, so sometimes she and my sister tag a long with him for vacations and such."

"And she's also an A+ student and a computer wiz," she said, looking at Donatello. "She is also the highest ranked English student in her high school." Donnatello's gaze shifted from it's normal astute nature to that of a more dreamy and dazed expression. "Oh man…" he said, leaning against a wall, "this is the girl of my dreams…"

"Your dreams?" Michelangelo and Leonardo said at the same time, "What about mine?" After that, they both peered at one another in bewilderment- this girl really _was_ going to be fun to hang out with!

"So when will she be here?" Leonardo asked excitedly.

"Bright and early tomorrow morning!" April said happily. "So, you guys want to meet her?"

"YEAH!" All three turtles shouted happily. In the back room, Raphael grimaced. _This girl _does_ sound too good to be true… besides, April never mentioned her having anything in common with-_

"Hey April?" Michelangelo asked, "you remember how you said that your niece has something in common with all of us?"

"Yeah," April answered.

"Well, what does she have in common with Raph?"

_Wow, Mikey is becoming a mind reader,_ Raphael thought sarcastically.

April paused. "Huh…" she said, as she thought, "to be honest… I don't think those two have _anything_ in common…"

_Just as I thought,_ Raphael continued as he turned to enter his room again, _too _


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The turtles dashed around their home moving their clutter from one area to another- preferably areas that were not so easy to see. "Mikey, catch!" Donatello shouted across the room as he flung some old pizza boxes through the air for his brother to catch and dispose of.

"Alright guys, they should be here any minute!" Leonardo said, nervously glancing at an old clock hanging from the wall. "Just finish what you can and leave the rest for… for…."

"Modern decoration," Donatello finished as he threw some random gadgets of his to his computer area.

Raphael stood at the edge of the room, still smoldering over April's and every one else's ignorance to the honest points he made yesterday. Why did no one grasp what he said? It wasn't as if he hadn't made any sense whatsoever, right? After all, they were, in every sense of the word, freaks. It was not every day that someone would see a giant, reptilian martial artist just walking down the street and not freak out. Everyone did. True, they had made some human friends before, but as Raphael had seen before during his undercover visits to the world above, girls were not that easy to get through to. They always had something stuck in their heads and it always had to stay that way- no it's, and's or but's.

Then, a bit of light fell through the manhole in the ceiling. April's feet began to descend the ladder, but nothing came after. And instead of April closing the manhole, she just let the light shine down.

"Hey guys!" she said cheerily once she hit the ground. She walked over to the boys who were really anticipating what was going to happen next. "Alright, she's up there, and she brought you guys gifts, so tell me when your ready and I'll call her down."

"WE'RE READY!" The three turtles shouted excitedly. April peered over to where Raphael was standing. "Raph? You ready?"

"Whatever," he growled, "bring her down, already."

She smiled at him. Despite his argument and pystoff façade, she knew that he was just as excited as the others were. She turned and headed back to the ladder. Raphael turned his face away, but kept watching intently through his scowl.

"Alright, kid! Common down!" April shouted, imitating Bob Barker.

Slowly, a pair of pink Converse-clad feet came down from the light that shown above. The boys looked in anticipation to see the girl's face, but so far, the light and her hair seemed to do a good job of obscuring it. The climbed down, four big shopping bags dangling from her arms. Once she reached the ground, instead of facing the turtles, she was facing her aunt. "Jeeze Louise, Aunt April!" She sighed, "That was a long walk! I thought the heat in California was bad, but New York definitely gives us a run for our money!" With that, she turned and faced the turtles. All of their jaws, including Raphael's, dropped. She really _was_ a babe! She was lean, her chestnut hair was absolutely radiant in the light from the manhole, and her startling green eyes and bright smile were enough to send even Raphael into his shell.

"Hi!" She said, sticking her hand out for Donatello, who just happened to be closest. "I'm June!" Once she said that, Donatello couldn't help but laugh. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" He giggled, "Your name is _June?_ And your mom's name is May, so here we have-"

"April, May, and June! That's right!" June said, laughing herself, "I always get that. I think it's kind of funny, too." With that, Donatello took her hand and shook it. "Hi," he said to her with a smile, "I'm Donatello."

"Oooh! Aunt April told me all about you!" She said with a smile. She then fumbled with her bags and grabbed a sliver one. "This is for you!" Donatello opened it and looked in in shock. Slowly, he pulled out the latest Compaq notebook. "This-- this is-- t-this…!" He stammered, trying to find his voice through the shock. "Yup, it's that! My aunt told me you were kind of limited to technology down here, so I thought this might help. It's fully loaded, and you can hook it up to whatever system your running now. It also has wireless Internet access so when you hook it up to your other computers they can log on as well; you know, for multitasking. Also, I got this for you," she said rummaging in her jeans pockets. "Ah!" She pulled out a small microchip and placed it into Donatello's hand. "My dad has been working on this for a while- this microchip will give your computers 49 times the speed of a new hard drive."

Donatello's eyes widened. "Tha-th-thank… th-thank y-yo-"

"Oh, don't worry about it, Donatello!" June said with a glistening smile, "It's just something nice for you!" She then moved forward and gave him a hug. "There you go, enjoy!"

"Uh huh…!" Donatello murmured, shuffling off to his computer corner, his new software wrapped in his arms like a precious treasure. June smiled as he walked away.

"Now, who's next?" April asked as she leaned casually against the ladder. Leonardo stepped forward.

"Uh, hi," he said, sticking out his hand, "I'm Leonardo."

June smiled, "Ah, Leonardo-san!" She bowed deeply, "Ohiyo gozaimasu! O genki desu ka?"

Leonardo's hand retracted a bit, and his eyes grew a bit larger. "You- you _do_ speak fluent Japanese!"

June laughed, and looked a little embarrassed, "Actually I've gotten pretty rusty, that's just the only bit of Nihongo I say on a regular basis!" She then lifted a cream colored bag covered in various Japanese kanji and handed it to Leonardo. "I got this for you in Kyoto. I had it made especially for you." He reached in the bag and pulled out an impressive traditional kimono with a space in the back cut out for his shell to fit perfectly into. "…Oh!" He said, absolutely breathless. "Madam Nakamura did kind of look at me funny when I asked for the whole in the back. And if it's too small, I had her put an bit of elastic in it so it would stretch to fit perfectly. And look, there's more-" she said, moving forward and digging through Leonardo's bag as he stood there, awestruck. "I got you a traditional tool to sharpen your kitana and a few prayer candles."

Leonardo couldn't find words- these gifts were perfect! Luckily, June beat him to the punch and gave him a big hug. "Glad you like them!"

Before Leonardo could hurry to try it on, Michelangelo ran down and almost knocked him over. "Hi!" Michelangelo said, grabbing one of June's hands in both of his. "I am like, SO psyched to meet you!"

"Jeeze Mikey! Calm down on the sugar intake!" Leonardo said, and turned to try on his new kimono.

"Oh, _you're the_ infamous Michelangelo! I have heard so much about you!" June said, giggling. "I got these for you- hope you like them." She grabbed a big bag that was covered with pictures of balloons and confetti. She placed it on the ground in front of her and pulled out-

"The new PS3! Dude!" Michelangelo said, looking at it in awe.

"I got you a few games- I don't know where you stand with racing and fighting games but…"

"Dude, I love 'em!" He said, kneeling down in front of her and smiling like a maniac. "Anything else? Huh, huh?"

"Well, I did get you mats for Dance Dance Revolution- I thought you might like to try it-"

"Oh, dude, I am the DDR _master_!" he bragged, "I could totally make you cry for your mom in like, 12 seconds with my skill."

June paused, raising an eyebrow. A smug smile crossed her face. "Oh, really? Is that what you think?"

Michelangelo settled down and slightly gulped by the look on her face. "Well… um… I'm not so sure anymore…"

"Don't worry about it, let's just see how you stand once I start to play," she said. "I also got you some small gadgets to fix your skateboard, and this!" She said, grabbing a card with a slice of pizza on it.

"Dude! A free pizza meal card!"

"Ooooh, it's so much more than that…" she said, looking at the card with admiration. "This card here is the key to your pizza needs. What this card allows you do, is call into any pizzeria in NYC and you get as many pizzas you want, whatever size, style or topping, for _free_."

Michelangelo's eyes grew large. "F-freeeee?" he asked quietly.

"Yup! The bill is totally paid off by my dad's corporation so there shouldn't be a fee! Of course, at the end of the year you will have to apply for another one, but that shouldn't be a problem!" She placed all of the gaming stuff back in the bag, and handed it and the pizza card to Michelangelo. "Enjoy!"

"YEAH!" Michelangelo said, jumping up and running off to his room laughing like a crazy man.

"Guess he liked that, June," April said from behind her. "Guess so…" she answered. Then, Master Splinter entered to room singing to himself. "Oh! April! This must be your charming niece!"

"Yes, Master Splinter," April answered, "This is June!"

"June," Splinter said, moving close to her and bowing, "what a pretty name. It fits your personality and features wonderfully!"

"Thank you, Splinter," she said, bowing as well. "Here, I brought you some gifts, too."

"Oh?" Master Splinter asked, curiosity playing on his face.  
"Here, I got this in Kyoto as well," she said, handing him his bag.

"Ooooh! A new tea pot! And oolong! My favorite!" He said, a big smile on his face. "And some prayer candles! And-!" He reached in and plucked out a young potted bonsai tree. "Oh, this are wonderful gifts! Thank you, June!" He said, bowing again.

"It was my pleasure, sir," she said, bowing as well.

_Wow… _ Raphael thought as he watched the gift giving festivities, _She isn't afraid of us! Not even Master Splinter! Jeeze, maybe she _is _this good… But I wonder what April told her about me…_

"Hey," said a voice near his shoulder. Startled, Raphael quickly glanced to see who it was. There, stood June, looking straight into his eyes, a slight look of curiosity on her face. "Your Raphael?" She asked, uncertain. _April probably mentioned my temper to her…_ Raphael thought grudgingly, _that's why she's cautious around me- she's afraid I'll blow up… _

"Yeah," he answered quietly, "that's me."

A smile spread across her face. "I thought that would be you!" She said warmly. Raphael felt his guard drop for a second. He let his arms drop from his chest and stood to face her. "Um, hi," he said, unable to look her in the eyes. _I'll just try to be nice. I mean, she's being nice to me, why shouldn't I return it?_ Then he noticed, she had no more bags. He didn't get a present. It didn't make him mad or upset, but he did feel hurt that she didn't even try to see how he would react to something. _She probably didn't get enough feedback from April,_ he thought. Again, as he was running the thoughts through his mind, he felt June take a hold of his hand and pull slightly. He looked at her in shock. "Common," she said, leading him toward the manhole. "I have something for you."

Raphael felt his green cheeks turning a little hot. June noticed the slightly surprised look on his face and smiled. "Don't worry, no need to be surprised." She gently pulled him forward and he followed. She lead him back to the ladder and the still sun-illuminated manhole. She let go of his hand and looked up at him. "Stay right there," she said, and made her way up the ladder. Raphael watched as she was reached the top, her image being engulfed in the light of the outside world. Then her silhouette appeared again, holding a big box. "Here, catch! Be easy though!" She called to Raphael. She then let it drop into Raphael's open arms. It was a relatively big box, but didn't make too big of a sound when he caught it. "Go ahead- open it!" June said. She had climbed down the ladder as he sat pondering what could possibly be inside. She just stood there on the ladder at his eye level waiting for him to stop looking back at her. "Seriously, it's not going to unwrap itself!" she laughed. Again, the hot feeling ran into his face, but he didn't show any signs of it. He placed the box on the ground and opened it up. Inside, he found a brand new vertical 3 disk playing stereo. Raphael blinked three times, unable to form words. April must not have told her anything about him, otherwise she would have bought him something else, something _perfect_. But in a way, this _was_ perfect. He hadn't told anyone he wanted a new stereo because his old one had always worked just fine. Besides, there were other things he wanted besides that. But for some reason, that gift hit a good cord with him.

After about 30 seconds of not saying anything, Michelangelo, who had been watching the whole time, laughed out, "Hah! She made him go all speechless! Ooooh, man! She got Raph, too!" Donatello and Leonardo slowly migrated into the room at the sound of Michelangelo's proclamation. "What?" Donatello asked, "Raph, did she really get you?" _Uh oh, not good…_ Raphael thought to himself, _everyone will be goading me for the next two weeks… Gotta act like old Raph…_

"What made you think…." Raphael said, slowly getting to his feet, his eyes still locked on the box, "that I would want _that…?!_" He growled, glaring at June.

"What?" April said at the sudden change of mood. "Raph, what's your problem? Don't take this out on June." Raphael spun around, glaring at his brother, "You stay out of this, Leo!" she said, pointing a warning finger at his brother. He turned again to face June who looked virtually indifferent.

"Well?" He said loudly, "What made you think I wanted this?"

June just stared into his eyes, not saying anything. Her eyes were green, just like her aunt's. But they seemed to burn into Raphael's gently. _Man… why did I start this…?_ Raphael thought, letting his guard down as he looked into June's eyes. _Why do I always have to be such a jerk…? Man… I wish she would just _say_ something, already! _Just as he finished thinking that, June grinned. "I thought you would like it," she said simply. She descended the ladder, leaving Raphael standing speechless. She moved over to the other brothers and stood in front of them, smiling. "It was really great meeting you guys. Unfortunately we have to go; Aunt April said she would take me for a spin around the city. Can we hang out again tomorrow?"

"Yeah!" all three brothers shouted at once. June's smile grew bigger. "Great! I'll see you guys tomorrow!" With that she moved toward Leonardo and gave him a hug. He tensed for a moment, but then awkwardly hugged her back, as did Donatello and Michelangelo when she hugged them. She then walked back to Raphael, who was still standing by the ladder, stunned. June's smile faded as she met Raphael's eyes. "Would it be okay to hang out tomorrow?" She asked. Raphael just looked at her. She really did seem to want to get to know them. There was no hidden emotions like fear or surprise in her eyes. His tough guy façade faded as he looked at her. "Y-yeah… I guess it would be okay…" he said quietly. With that a small smile crossed June's face. She moved toward Raphael and gave him a hug as well. He tensed, just like his brothers, but found himself unable to hug back. "By the way, I burnt a CD for you- I think you'll like track six," she said quietly as she hugged him. She then let go, and looked up into his startled face. "Bye," she said quietly. "Bye," he said back. She then regained her chipper manner and headed for the ladder. "Bye guys! See you tomorrow!" With that, she waved and headed back up the ladder. "Aunt April," she called down, "I'll meet you in the car!"

April waited a few seconds until the sound of her niece's movements couldn't be heard anymore. As soon as they faded, the three brothers all exploded with excitement.

"Omigod! She _was _hot!" Michelangelo said, getting a dreamy look in his eye.

"She is sooooo cool!" Donatello joined in.

"Hey, April," Leonardo asked, "I know this is gonna sound weird, but can I ask you a question?"

"Okay…" April said, "what is it?"

"Well, I don't know if it was just me who noticed, but to me it seemed like June was flirting with us! Didn't she?"

April paused and thought about it. "Well, yes, I guess she did," she answered.

"So, do you think there is anyway that she would actually, I don't know, like one of us?"

April paused again. "Well, you never know!" she said finally.

"Do you think you could ask her?" Michelangelo asked. "You know, just in case?"

April nodded absentmindedly. "Sure, yeah I will! Well, I gotta go before she get's bored and hijacks my car. Bye guys! See you tomorrow!" With that, she made her own way up the ladder, and into the light after her niece. She then closed the manhole and was gone.

"Man, I can't wait for tomorrow…" Michelangelo said, going back to his room. Leonardo and Donatello did the same, leaving Raphael outside by the ladder with his stereo.

_Yeah,_ Raphael thought, lifting his box and carrying it off, _me too…_

April walked to her car, mulling Leonardo, Michelangelo and Donatello's request in her head. Should she even ask that? The turtles were her friends, but she was almost positive that June would only see them in a friendly light. Especially after the way Raph had treated her. It would be a miracle if she even wanted to talk to him tomorrow. _Well, _April resolved, _I better just wait and see how she does once we get home,_ she thought. _If she seems comfortable enough with what just happened back there, I'll ask her, but that's only if I see fit to it…_

She reached her car and found June sitting patiently in the front seat. "Hi Aunt April," she said once April entered the car and buckled her seatbelt.

"You ready to go for the tour?" April asked in a mock tour guide voice.

"Of course!" June said excitedly. April started the engine and they were off.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

_Ding dong,_ the doorbell called. The apartment was fully lit up, but there was no movement inside, ad the only audible sound was the quiet snorts of snoring. _Ding dong, ding dong,_ called again.

Casey Jones awoke with a start, quickly ripping the _Sports Illustrated_ magazine off of his face and sitting up at attention on the sofa. "Wha? Oh! Oh man…" he groaned, standing up, "just the door… I wonder what the girl scouts have in store this time…"

He slowly opened the door, putting on his best scowl, dispite the fact that his eyelids were still droopy with sleep. "Look girls, I don't know how many times I have to tell you this," he started, "but the Samoas are only good once a year and that's _it._" Then his eyes focused on who was actually at the door.

"Hi Casey!" June said, giving a slight wave with her free hand, as the other was occupied with her suitcase. Casey rubbed his eyes quickly and blinked to clear his eyesight. "Oh, hey, midget!" He said smiling broadly, opening the door and standing to the side to make way. "It's been a while, eh?"

"Yeah it has," June giggled, moving into the apartment and looking around, getting used to her surroundings. "Wow… nice digs…"

"Just goes to show that I not only have impeccable tastes in art and fashion, but housing facilities, too," April said with mock haughtness as she follwed her niece through the front door. She paused and gave Casey a little kiss. "Hey, sorry we're late," she said. "Oh no problem, babe," Casey said, smiling back, "Just catching up on some house cleaning and stuff." April gave him a skeptical look, and he laughed nervously. "Seriously! I was!" April then reached behind her and pulled a sock off of one of her plant stands. "Oh gee," Casey said quietly, "must have missed that one…" "Uh huh," April said smiling.

"So, where will I be staying?" June asked, sitting on the sofa and looking at her aunt and Casey. "Oh, we have the guest room upstairs all ready for you. It even has a window so you can get a look at the city." "Wow…" June said, reclining back. "This is a really nice pad…"

"Ain't it, though?" Casey said, walking to the fridge to grab something to eat. He pulled out what looked like a leftover hoagie and started eating. He then walked behind June and wrapped an arm around her neck putting her into a headlock while giving her a playful noogie. "Casey, you butthead!" June growled, "Your messing up my hair!"

"Common midget, do your worst! You can't get out of this!" he laughed, his mouth still full of hoagie. Then, June gripped his forearm that was locked around her neck and stood up suddenly, pushing her shoulder into his chest and swinging him up and over her, and was sent crashing to the floor. "Oooowwww…" he said, trying to sit up. She walked behind him and ground her knuckles onto his head for a few seconds and then walked off to stand by her aunt, who like she was, laughing her head off.

"Don't you _dare_ let a word of this reach the outside world…" Casey said threateningly, pointing a warning finger at both April and June's direction. "Oh, don't worry, Casey," June reassured him, "_we_ won't say anything…"

"But I think Mrs. Fitzgerald across the way should have a field day," April said, laughing harder. Casey's head whirrled around and looked out his living room window. Sure enough, Old Lady Fitzgerald from the neighboring apartment building was watching the festivities. "Oh, maaann…" Casey groaned.

"I'm sorry, Casey," June said, moving over to him. She offered him her hand and helped him up. Casey rubbed his soar back and shot a glare at both June and April. "You know what? I'm going to the movies! Forget y'all!" He said, grabbing his wallet that laid next to their phone.

"The movies, Casey?" April asked in a hinting way. "Sure your not going to go play cricket or anything…?"

Casey paused as he opened the door and pointed to his back, odviously showing that he didn't have his handy-dandy golf bag or goalie mask. April just smiled and nodded, and he smiled back before closing the door and going on his way.

"What was all that about?" June asked.

"Oh nothing!" April covered quickly. "Don't worry about it. So, how about we have a girl night now that Casey is gone? I got some movies and new nail polish for the occasion." June smiled, "Sure! That would be cool!"

A few hours later, both April and June were sitting on the sofa in their PJ's, watching "Thirteen Going On 30," and blowing on or painting their toes while digging around in a big bowl of popcorn. April looked at her niece. She looked so cute, her chestnut hair pulled into two low pigtails, pale pink pajamas, with her knees up to her chest as she watched Jennifer Garner's character proclaime her love to Mark Ruffalo. _Well… I guess this would be a good time to bring up the boy's question- after all, that the kind of stuff you talk about at a slumber party…_ She looked over at June and smiled, "So, what did you think of the guys?" She asked nonchalantly.

June looked back at her aunt, a huge smile on her face, "I absolutely love them! I cannot _wait _to hang out tomorrow!"

"Well what did you like about them in particular?"

"Well, for starters, Leo is so pollite and good natured," June explained, "And Donatello is really sweet, and Mikey- he's really funny." She said, giggling slightly. "And Master Splinter seems okay too, even though we didn't really talk that much."

April smiled, _no word on the tiff yet- so far so good-_

"And I really like Raph a lot," June said simply, picking up a bottle of nail polish and starting on the second coat."

"Y-you do?" April asked, a little surprised. "Even after the way he blew up at you for nothing?"

"Well, I can sort of understand where he's coming from, I think," she said calmly.

"_How…_?" April asked, getting interested in what her niece had to say.

"Well, he just seems a little worried, that's all. I'm not mad at him for what he did, actually," she said, hugging her knees and looking off into nothing, a slight smile playing on her lips. "I just feel like he didn't mean what he said. Like, it's an act he has and doesn't want to let down his big bad character."

_Wow, she has him pegged,_ April thought. _Now might be a good time to just blurt it out. Go for it, April!_

"Were you flirting with them today, June?" she asked bluntly. Her niece looked at her, a little surprised by her aunt's bluntness.

"Sorry, that just slipped out!" Her aunt apologized, "What I was trying to say was-"

"Yeah I was a little, why do you ask?" June asked, the surprised expression still on her face.

"You were? Really?" April asked, sounding just as surprised as June looked, but at the same time relieved that her niece had gotten to the point so easily.

"Yeah, I think their pretty cute," June answered honestly.

"Well, I guess since we have all this out in the open, I may as well say it- the boys were wondering would you be interested in like, dating them or anything."

June paused and thought. "Raph didn't ask or seem into it at all, did he…?"

April looked a little suspicious, "No, he didn't… Why…?"

"Well, it just doesn't seem like something he would ask, does it?" June asked with a smile.

"No. Your right- no he wouldn't ask that…." April said, impressed by her niece's ability to figure out Raph in the short time of their meeting.

"Well, I wouldn't mind it," June said answering her question. April blinked a few times. "You would date them?"

"Yeah, why not? Maybe I could date all four of them. You know, a personal date for each brother. What do you think?"

April tried finding her voice, "I- I think that's a great idea! I know the boys would love it!" April got serious again. "Are you sure you want to?" _I'm sure she's had other boyfriends and everything, so I'm not worried about that,_ she thought to herself, _it's just not every day a girl like June would want to date a teenage mutant turtle…!_

"Of course I am!" June said, "I never would have even mentioned it if I wasn't, right?"

"Well, you've got a point…" April said.

"So tomorrow, can I tell them?" June said excitedly, "Can I can I pleeeeaaaaseeee?"

"Alright," April said, "but first, we need to come up with a code of conduct- that way no one gets their toes stepped on."

"Oh do tell," June said smiling.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

"I dunno, Aunt April…" June said, fixing her hair one last time in her visor mirror. "Maybe my bright plan will make me look like, I don't know, a female player or something…"  
"No, I think it's a good idea!" April reassured her, "It's probably the _only_ way you could pull it off without hurting anyone's feelings. Besides, won't it be really hard to decide who you would _really_ like if you didn't give each of them a fair shot?" June looked a little uncertain as she swept her bangs to the side of her face. "Your right…" she said.  
"After all, isn't that how it was with all of your other boyfriends? Didn't you give them a shot before actually going steady?"  
June paused momentarily. "Uh- yeah! Yeah! That's right! That's just what I did!" She said quickly.  
"Well then! Let's get to it!" April said, patting her leg and hopping out of her car. June flipped up her visor, opened and locked the door, and closed it with a slight slam. She followed her aunt into an alley, and then helped her lift off the lid of a man hole. June went down first and waited for April who took care of closing the secret entranceway.  
They walked for a while without talking, but April kept stealing glances of her niece. She looked sure of her self, staring straight as she walked, her eyes focused on her destination. But there seemed to be a little worry on her face.

"Everything will be okay, June," April said calmly, causing her niece to look at her. "The guys won't judge or anything. Well… maybe Raph, but he's really nice when you get through his shell- pardon the pun." June turned her gaze forward, and April could have sworn she saw a slight smile on her face.  
Finally, they reached the Turtle's home. "Guys!" April called. Normally they would have been warned of her visiting by the sun that shone through the manhole over their home, but since it was tourist season, she couldn't risk being seen. It was easy enough the other day, but as summer began to heat up, the population grew as well. "Guuuuuyyyyysss!" April called, making her way into the room. _It is so convenient that sewers intersect,_ she thought as she and June reached the living room.  
"Hey! April! June!" Donatello called out from behind his computer. He jumped up and rushed toward them. "We were hoping you'd show up so! It's really great to see you!" he said as if they hadn't seen one another in years.

"Hi, Donny," June said, glad to see he was glad to see her nonetheless. "Um… I have something to bring up to you and your brothers, are they around?"  
Donatello nodded eagerly and shouted out to his brothers, "Leo! Raph! Mikey! June's here and she wants to tell us something!"

As soon as he had finished his announcement, a crash could be heard from another room, and Michelangelo shouting, "I'm okay!" He rushed out from wherever he was and gave June a big hug. "Alright! June! You're here!"

"Yes, yes, Mikey, I am indeed here." She said, returning his hug. Leonardo appeared with Raphael right behind him, a scowl on his face.

June smiled once they all entered the room. "Alright, here's the thing," June started. She looked over her shoulder at her aunt, who nodded for her to continue. "Well, as you may or may not know, I really think you guys are great. I mean, _really_ great. That's why I was thinking…. Well…. Maybe- would you guys like to go out with me sometime?" 

All of the boy's jaws dropped. Even Raphael's eyes grew wide at her request. As if on command, all of the boys shouted at the top of their lungs, "YES!"

_Unbelievable…_ Raphael thought to himself, _I do NOT believe what I'm hearing!_ He snapped to his senses. "What do you mean, 'you guys?' You can only go out with us one at a time- if you were even serious about it, that is…"  
June looked at him, again standing in a corner, leaned up against a wall with his arms wrapped around his chest. She smiled at him, slightly cocking her head to the side. "So, how did you like the CD?" She asked simply, going way in the outfield. Raph's eyes grew big again, but then narrowed down to a glare.

"Oh, he's been listening to it non stop!" Michelangelo said with a smile. "Especially this one song… It's pretty hard core rock-"  
"It's Avenged Sevenfold, you idiot," Raphael glared, giving him a glare. June smiled, "Yeah, it's called 'Seize the Day,' I thought you would like it, Raph. And please, I do have a method to my madness- let me explain," she said, answering his first question. "I thought all of you guys are totally cute," June began, "and I would really like to maybe date one of you, for the sake of summer romance and all. Well, I thought about who I would want to date, but to be honest; I can't make up my mind who would like to go out with more. So I was thinking, since traditionally guys are the ones who call the shots on dates, so I thought, maybe you guys could set up a date of your preference and see who comes out victorious."  
"I don't like the idea," Raphael said strongly. _Stupid, shut up!_ "It sounds like your just doing it for kicks!" _Shut up!  
_"Well, I kind of agree with it, Raph," Leonardo said. "What she says makes sense. If she likes all of us, including you, which I don't really see how that happened, it is the only way she could make her mind of who to date, if any of us. And if you haven't noticed, we don't really get a lot of girls who are interested in us, so for once, why don't you just accept the fact that someone _does_ like us, and that someone wants to go out with us!"

Raphael lowered his head and stared at the ground. _Why can't I just shut up? Look at what I've started now… Leo has a point… I'll just be quiet and see what happens…  
_June looked at Raphael. _He looks really upset, _she thought as she became concerned as well. She felt her eyebrows knit together with worry, but Michelangelo brought her back to the discussion. "So, who gets to go first?" He asked anxiously.   
"Don't worry, I got the fairest way of doing it- names out of a hat!" She said, producing a baseball cap and sheet of paper. "Totally childish- but it works. So everyone, I've already written your names on the paper, so all I have to do," she said is she started ripping the sheet in four squares, "is fold them up, shake 'em around, and Aunt April picks!" She set the hat down on the sofa that was nearest to her, folded the papers into the tightest possible squares, placed them in the hat, covered the opening with her hand and shook like a maniac. After a few seconds, she moved back over to her aunt and said with a smile, "Now the time we've all been waiting for! Aunt April, you do the honors!"  
April smiled and reached into the hat and pulled out the first paper square. She unfolded it and read out the first name- "Leonardo!" Donatello's and Michelangelo's jaws dropped at the news. "_What?!_" Mikey groaned, "Leo _always _goes first!" Leonardo just smiled proudly.  
"Next is Michelangelo," April read. "HA!" He shouted, jumping in both Donatello's and Raphael's faces. "SO in your face! In your FACE! HAHA!"  
"Donny goes third, and that leaves Raph in fourth place," April said. Donatello looked happy with the outcome and Raph showed no emotion whatsoever. "So, here's the deal," June explained again, "you get to pick your dream date and let me get involved in it. From there, I'll pick the guy who I like the most. Other than that, nothing much has changed- we're all still friends no matter what, right?" All three boys smiled, "Of course!" "This is a great learning experience for us- and it's a great social experiment, too," Donatello said matter-of-factly. "Yeah, and dudes, I _totally _cannot wait to partake in it!" Michelangelo said.  
Raphael brooded as the others celebrated. _What am I going to do for a date? I don't have a romantic bone in my body- what am I gonna do? I'll just keep and ear and an eye out for what the others are doing… that'll give me ideas…  
_"So, what do you guys wanna do for now?" June asked the brothers. "Well, I was just going to challenge all of these losers to a match of Dance Dance Revolution- you want in?" Michelangelo asked her. "Sure! We can make it like a tournament! So who's all in?" She asked. Naturally, Donatello and Leonardo spoke up, but when Raphael didn't say anything, June looked over at him. "Raph?" She asked quietly, hoping not to hit a nerve, "Do you want to play?" "Common, Raph," Michelangelo laughed, "I wanna see you boogie down to Kelly Clarkson."  
"I'm not playing," he growled, not taking his eyes off the ground. "I don't want to be in on your stupid little tournament, let alone a dumb game like that- I got better things to do." With that, he stood up and stormed out of the room. June watched him leave. _Is it something I said…?_ she thought, _I hope it's just his way of testing the waters…_   
"Earth to June, let's get this party started!" Michelangelo laughed, brining her out of her thoughts. She perked up, moving toward the DDR mat laid out in front of her. "Yeah, on my way!" She said. She looked off into the direction Raphael went, but didn't see him, then went on the play the game.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

June grabbed a towel and wiped away some foggy condensation on the bathroom mirror. She smiled once she saw her face somewhat more clearly, she smiled at her reflection. She reached forward and grabbed her comb and started to de-tangle her hair. The water droplets from her hair left small cool splotches on her shirt as she combed the moisture out. _Gotta get ready, Leo's waiting…_ She thought to herself. Naturally, since Leo was the first name to have been pulled out from her hat, he was bound to ask her formally. Of course, he could have had as much time to get prepared as he would have needed; after all, it was his call for when he wanted to invite her on the date, but she hadn't anticipated it would have been on the same day.

Her mind wandered back to when he first asked her. They had just finished about the 25th round of Dance Dance Revolution, and both she and the boys had been resting and gulping down water. "Common, June!" Michelangelo had urged, "let's go for 26 on expert! I just _know_ I can whoop you!" "Heh, yeah right, Mikey," she laughed, "You haven't been able to beat me in 25 rounds, and no offense, I don't think you can ever get your point average over mine."

"Well this is fun and all, but I think I need a break," Donatello said, standing and moving toward his computer. "Nice seeing you again, June! Later!" "Bye, Donny!" June said, giving him a tired smile and wave. "Well, fine then!" Michelangelo said, standing up. "I guess I'll just take a nap or something instead- you guys wake me up in like, 9 hours, 'kay? It's been a blast, June. See 'ya!"

"Bye Mikey!" she said, giving him the same smile and wave she gave Donatello. Once he had gone, she laid back a little on the couch they had all collapsed on. She let a sigh out as she fell back. "Well, I guess that 'fun-o-rama' took care of all of the junk food and calories I've taken in over, oh, I dunno, sixteen years?" She said. Leonardo, who was relaxing to the right of her, just laughed a little. Silence fell between them for a moment. Once it did, June started thinking about Raphael again. _I really hope it's nothing I did…_ She started to feel a bit upset again. _I… I wanted to play with him too… I wanted to-_

"Um, June?" Leonardo said quietly, brining her out of her thoughts. "Oh! Sorry, I was zoning out," she said with a smile. "Yeah?"

"I don't know if this is a bit early or anything, but I was wondering, since my name was the first to be drawn, would you like to have our date tomorrow? I've been thinking about what to do during our games, so if it's okay with you and all…"

June looked at him closely. His eyes were serious, but she could see a surprising vulnerability- something she would never have pegged as seeing in Leonardo. It was almost an un-easiness, like he was a little afraid she would decline, almost like a boy asking his first crush to a dance. June had to give it to him, this is was new look for Leonardo, and it was absolutely adorable. Despite his insecurity, however, his mouth was set and serious, just like his request. June smiled at him warmly, which caused Leonardo to loose a bit of his barely-clinging edge. "Sure, Leo. I would love to."

As she started to blow her hair dry, the fog of thoughts in her mind's eye started to clear, much like the fog on the mirror. _This is going to be so fun,_ she thought with a smile. _Leo is so sweet- I wonder what he has planed… Ooooh! This is _so_ exciting!_

She pulled her now dried hair into a semi-neat bun and stuck two decorative hair sticks in it. She then ran two doors down to her room and ran to her closet. There, on a special hanger was her kimono that she had gotten on her last trip to Japan. It had really cost a lot of yen, but it was completely worth it. The body of the kimono was a pale blue with pink _sakura_, or cherry blossoms, embroidered all over the fabric. The obi that covered the waste was a golden yellow that was as shiny as satin. She smiled when she saw it and felt her already over-abounding excitement reach a new level.

An hour later, she and her aunt had arrived at the normal manhole-entrance. April parked the car and ran to open June's door. "Aunt April!" she said exasperatedly, "I can open the door all by myself!"

"Well, I know that!" April said indignantly. Then her voice switched to a really mushy-girly voice, "But your just so pretty! It's like taking Cinderella to the ball!" June just sighed and smiled. She pulled the trench coat she wore closer around her and stepped out of her aunts' car. She stopped for a moment and looked around her. The sky was completely illuminated by the buildings all around her. Looking at the reddened sky of the city filled her with a sense of awe and reverence. She almost didn't want to move, but her excitement kept building until she couldn't resist it any longer. She followed her aunt down the manhole and to where Leonardo waited.

She entered the living area and found it completely deserted and darkened. The light of the TV and the various arcade games cast a pale light on the area, illuminating the room enough to see the bigger pieces of furniture and the floor. She looked around, and then noticed a gold-ish light coming out of one of the rooms. June could see Leonardo's silhouette through the rice paper doors. "Leo?" She called out nervously, "Leo, are you ready?"

"June!" he answered back, "Yeah, I'm ready. Come in whenever your ready!"

June looked at her aunt, who had her girly-excited smile again. June smiled and waved, signaling her aunt it was okay to go back home until the date was over at 11. She turned then, took a deep breath and made her way toward the room. Outside the door, Leo had conveniently set up a coat rack. She took off her trench coat, and slid her sandals off outside the door, as Japanese tradition called for.

She entered the door and slid it shut. She glanced around the room and saw different scrolls hanging on the walls, and different weapons on shelves, and racks. The room was completely alight by the use of almost two hundred, or so it seemed to her. Then she saw a long low table sitting in the middle of the room, and behind it sat Leo, wearing the kimono she had brought him. _Wow…_ June thought, feeling her cheeks growing a little warmer, _That kimono looks good on him!_ Leonardo smiled when he saw her. "J-June!" He stammered, "You look… _great!_" June smiled and bowed. "_Arigato, Leonardo-kun!_" She said, a little more giddy than she had meant to sound. "Come on over," Leonardo said, standing up. "I made the dinner myself." June made her way over to the table and looked at all of the food that lay on the table. There were different Japanese dishes all over- baked fish in bamboo containers, eel, sushi, yakitori- there was just so much! "And there's oolong tea steeping in the kitchen," Leonardo said, as he saw the look on June's face. "Oolong tea?" June said, sounding more and more excited, "I _love_ oolong tea! Oh, Leo, this is amazing!"

Leonardo smiled bashfully. "Well, let's eat, shall we?" June sat on her cushion in front of the table and started picking around the various dishes, getting samples of everything, and Leonardo did the same. "So, Leo," June started awkwardly, "Where is everyone else? The place is like, completely deserted!"

"Oh, that's an easy one to answer," Leonardo said smiling slightly as he started to pick up some rice with his chopsticks. "I wanted some privacy for the two of us- Mikey was all too eager to poke his head in every minute to see what we were up to."

June giggled, "I can see that, sadly enough."

"Yeah, me too. That's why I asked them all if they would all stay in their rooms until time for you to leave."

"And they all agreed?"

"Well, everyone except Raphael, but I don't think he'll be coming out of his room any time soon. He's had himself locked up since yesterday. Listening to that new stereo, but the way."

June froze temporarily. He had been in his room that whole time? She started to feel a little guilty even though she knew deep down she shouldn't have. Just as she started to feel bad, she heard the whistle of boiling water in a kettle.

"Oh! That'll be the oolong!" Leonardo said starting to get up.

"Leo, no! You just sit and relax! In traditional Japanese dining like this, the woman always bring in the tea! I'll be back in a flash!" She said with a wink and started to leave.

_Stupid Leo…_ Raphael thought as he socked his punching bag for almost the millionth time today. _Don't even know what he tried telling me today- I just tuned him out… _

His mind went back to that afternoon when Leo had the nerve to enter his room. He had stayed in there since everyone's little Dance Dance Revolution party, mentally kicking himself for trying to be the tuff guy and not join in on an odiously fun ordeal. He had turned up the volume of his new stereo on almost full blast with the bass boost on in order to drown out the sounds of the others in the next room. Then, Leonardo's shadow had appeared in the doorway. Raphael, who was at that time, just getting started on hitting his punching bag, turned to face his brother with a scowl on his face. "What do you want?" He growled.

"Look, Raph, I want to ask you something. You know how June and I have our date first, right? Well, I was thinking-"

_Oh God, here he goes, bringing _her_ up again! _He thought angrily, turning to his bag again and punching harder than he had before. _Just tune him out… focus on the music… focus on the music… I don't want to hear about your plans!_ _Focus… focus…._

"Raph!" Leonardo shouted, "Will you do that for me?!"

"_Yes!_ Alright!! Yes!" Raphael shouted back. He honestly had no idea what Leonardo had just asked of him- in fact, the only reason he agreed was to get him out of his room so he could continue to brood.

"Thank you," Leonardo said quietly; compared to the music at least. With that, he turned and left the room.

_Maybe I should have listened to find out what I agreed to…_ He thought now, coming back to the present. _Eh, oh well. I'll find out later. _"Man, I am hungry…" he said aloud, stopping punching and taking a breather. "And a drink wouldn't kill me either…" He looked out of his doorway- everything was dark. _Hmm.. Guess the others went to sleep early…_He thought. _Cool. More for me…_

June slipped on her sandals again in order to keep her socks clean and stood a moment to let her eyes adjust to the darkness. Once she could see a little better, she turned and started toward the kitchen. She found the tea kettle with no problem, and started to turn back when she ran smack into something really hard.

"Oww!" she shouted in pain, holding her nose and preying her eyes wouldn't well up, "Ooooh, you stupid wall!" she growled.

"Stupid wall, huh?" A voice replied.

June froze yet again. She completely forgot about the pain in her nose and felt a slight chill fall over her. She looked up, forcing her eyes to focus, and they landed on the face of Raphael. He stared down at her with a surprised and somewhat stupefied look on his face. The dim light of the TV fell on his outline, almost framing him in light, his eyes almost illuminated from the same light.

"Raph! Uh, wha-what are you doing out here?" June whispered.

"I just wanted to… uh… get a drink…" he said quietly and absent mindedly, giving her a quick look up and down. "Um… what's the occasion?"

"I'm on a date with Leo," she said. A hurt look crossed his face momentarily, but then quickly subsided. "Aah! June!" He whispered urgently.

June felt something hot running down from her nose and toward her mouth. Instinctively she put a hand up to it and pulled it away. There, shining on her finger, was blood. "Ohmigosh…!" She whispered, trying to keep her calm.

"Tilt your head back," Raphael instructed quietly. She did as he said, and he put a firm arm around her shoulders and held one of her hands. Despite the fact that she had a bloody nose, June felt her cheeks go hot. _Wow…_ _his arms are _really _firm…_she found herself thinking.

"Come with me," he whispered in her ear, "I can help."

He started to steer her somewhere she couldn't see. She just kept her head tilted back and followed Raphael.

"June?" Leonardo called out, "Hey June! What's taking so long? Did you find it?"

Both Raphael and June stood still. "Uh, yeah Leo, I did," June called back, causing Raphael to look at her as she spoke. "I have it, but I've got to freshen up a bit really fast, okay?"

She heard him laugh a little. "Alright, take your time!"

Raphael sighed with relief and started to lead June again. Finally, they reached their destination. Raphael let go of her hand and reached for something. "Close your eyes," he said quietly in her ear. She tightly closed her eyes, and Raphael hit a light switch. June squinted, getting used to the bright light. She then felt Raphael's arm leave her shoulders and she stood still with her head bent backwards, wondering what to do. Then she felt his hands on her waist and she gasped a little in surprise. "Trust me," Raphael said, and then lifted her onto the bathroom counter. She heard some shuffling in drawers and then felt a soft object under her nostril. "Here," Raphael said gently, "Hold that there. You can let your head down."

June reached to where his hand was and grasped a hold of the cotton ball he had placed there. She let her head down and looked at him clearly for the first time in three days. He stood in front of her, worry written all over his face. "There, is that better?" He asked her.

"Yeah," she answered quietly, "yeah, it's a lot better."

"I- I'm really sorry about that," he said, starting to apologies.

"No! Don't worry about it! It was my fault I didn't see you there!" June said smiling. Raphael didn't seem convinced however. "Here, let me take a look," he said, moving closer.

She felt his hard shell-covered chest against her knees. He tilted her head a little upward and took away her cotton ball. He looked intently at her nose, making sure it wasn't broken or if there would be any chances of her having black eyes in the morning. "Does, this hurt?" He asked, lightly touching her nose. She sucked in a sharp breath, "Oww! Oww… oww!" she said, gritting her teeth. She raised her hands, trying to knock Raphael's hands away. "No, no, calm down, calm down," she said gently. He took his hands away from her face and grabbed her hands and placed them on his shoulders. "There, press on those…"

Raphael inspected her nose for a little while longer, pressing and touching, and June reacting honestly to what she felt. After a while, he took her chin in between his thumb and index finger and tilted it down so he could look at her eyes to check for bruising. As he looked, June couldn't help but look at his eyes. They were a dark chocolate brown, and every so often when the light caught them, she could see almost copper-colored flecks. His eyes still had a look of worry in them, but it wasn't as intense as it was when they first came in the bathroom. Then, he stopped inspecting and their eyes met. June felt a slight chill run down her spine and her cheeks grew hot again. Then they both lowered their gazes, even thought Raphael's hands didn't live her sides, and her hands didn't leave his muscular shoulders. Then, they both pulled away and stayed in silence for a minute.

"So doctor," June said, breaking the awkwardness, "am I gonna live?"

Raphael smiled slightly, "Well, it's not broken, and I think if you ice it tonight you shouldn't have black eyes tomorrow."

June gave a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness… Raphael, thanks for the help. That was really nice of you."

"Oh, it wasn't anything great," he said, "I mean, I was the one who gave you the bloody nose after all, right?"

"Well yeah, but that doesn't mean it was any less nice." They both went silent again. Then June hopped off of the counter and went to the door. "Well, I should get back to Leo now…" Raphael just lowered his head and nodded. June opened the door and started to leave. "June! Wait!" Raphael whispered loudly, beckoning her back. She turned and looked at him. "Yes?"

"You… uh, you look… great tonight…." He said, an adorable bashful look on his face. June smiled broadly, blushing again. "Thank you Raph…" she lingered there for a moment, but then left to grab the tea and return to her date.

Raphael slumped against the wall of the bathroom, smiling to himself.

"I'm back!" June said, slipping through the sliding doors with the tea kettle in her hand. "Is everything okay?" Leonardo asked, looking concerned, "I thought I heard you say 'oww' when you went into the kitchen."

"Oh, no, that was just something on the TV," June said smiling, pouring tea in both of their tea cups and sat down for the remainder of the date. _Thank goodness this room is lit with only candles…_June thought to herself, _the dim light is the perfect camouflage for my red nose. Jeeze, I really hate lying to Leo, but I really don't want Raph to get in trouble… _ The rest of the date went swimmingly. They both loosened up and began joking and talking about everything from June's visits in Japan to Leonardo's different adventures. Eventually, the time came for June to go home.

"I had a really great time, Leo," June said sincerely. "And by the way, you look totally amazing in the kimono."

"Thank you- but you know, you don't look so average either," he said with a smile. June blushed. The sounds of April opening the manhole echoed in the nearly deserted sewers. "June, are you ready?" April called down quietly. "Yeah, I'm coming, Aunt April," she answered. June turned back to Leonardo. "Well, I better get going. Thanks again, I had a lot of fun."

Their eyes met. Leonardo's eyes were a lot lighter brown than Raphael's, but just as beautiful. Then, slowly, Leonardo bent down and kissed her on the cheek. June's cheeks flooded with heat. _They're beet red, no doubt,_ she thought. "See you later, okay?" Leonardo said quietly. June just nodded dumbly and stumbled over to the ladder and climbed up.

The night air was cool and the lights were much brighter than they had seemed before. June stood on the sidewalk looking upward as her aunt put the manhole lid back into it's proper place. "So, June! Did you have fun?" April asked standing up. "Yeah…" June said dreamily, "yeah, I did…."

"Well, that's good! Well, let's get back to the pad- Casey picked up some movies and insists that we all watch them together." April continued, moving to her car that was parked near by.

"Uh, Aunt April?" June asked, following her, "Do you have ice at your place?"

"Yeeaaahh…. Why…?"

"Oh, I just had an accident- I ran into- … a wall."

"A wall?" April asked, surprised. "Well, I can't blame you really, that place was pretty dark…"

June got into the front seat, buckled herself in, and just smiled


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

After the date with Leonardo, June was anticipating what Mikey had in store. It had been two days since Leo's dinner date, and Michelangelo had jumped on the chance to ask June out. Naturally, June accepted with a big smile.

_Hmm… Knowing Mikey, this will probably be a high-energy date…_ She thought to herself. _I better go snag one of Casey's Red Bulls before he comes home. _She left her room and made her way downstairs, the sounds of her flip-flops quietly popping here heels as she made her way. She turned the corner into the kitchen and stopped dead in the doorway. There, standing against the kitchen counter, were Casey and April, kissing heavily.

June's eyes bugged out of her head, and she just stood there in shock. She felt heat rush to her cheeks. "Okay, I know this is your place and all, but seriously, get a room," a voice peeled out over the passion-heavy silence. June wheeled around and saw Raphael standing at the window, coming off of the fire escape. Casey and April shot apart, embarrassed that they had been caught.

"R-Raph!" June said, surprised to see him. "Wha-what are you doing here?"

"Well, I came to talk to Casey, but his lips look a bit on the busy side," Raphael said sarcastically.

"Uh, Raph! Well, what a surprise!" Casey said, finally finding his voice. "Uh, I'm open to talk! Heh, um, meet me on the roof, 'kay?" He asked, making a hasty retreat to the fire escape. "June! What time is it?" April said, trying to break up the awkwardness of the situation.

"It's about… 7:30," June said, looking at her watch.

"Oh! Well, let me go get freshened up and I'll take you right down!" April said, dashing up the stairs to the bathroom. Raphael moved behind June and looked at her watch. "What is that?" He asked dryly, "Is that a _banana_ watch…?"

"Oh! Yeah!" June said lifting her wrist so he could get a better look. "See? It's a Harajuku Lovers thing. You like it?"

"A Hara-what?"

"Yeah… that's what I said too…" June said, looking a little embarrassed, "Aunt April said it's what all the girls my age are wearing. I've never been much into fashion, but it is kind of cute…"

"So, uh, how's your nose…?" Raphael asked, his voice dropping to a whisper.

"Oh!" June said, dropping in volume as well, "It's much better! No bruises or pain or anything!"

Raphael smiled. _Wow!_ June thought, _he really _can_ smile! _"I'm glad," he said, looking her in the eye. Another awkward silence dropped over them. "Uh, June? C-can I tell you something?" he asked, rather shyly- _Something completely out of the ordinary for Raphael,_ June thought. "Yeah, sure," she answered, "What is it?" Raphael looked at the floor for a minute. "Well, you know, I've been thinking since the whole, 'wall' incident, and well, I know this is kind of out of the ballpark and all, but I wanted to… uh…. Well, I wanted to-"

"Raph!" a voice called out. Casey was there standing at the window again. "Are you coming or what?" He shifted his gaze to June, "Is he bothering you? Believe me, if he is, let me know, okay? I'll take care of him for you," Casey boasted.

"Oh yeah right, pretty boy," Raphael growled back, "I-" he looked back at June, who still looked like she wanted him to finish what he was going to say, "I'll catch you later, June," he said quietly, moving to the window and up the fire escape. "Uh… bye!" She called after him. _What was all that about…? _She thought, her cheeks getting warmer. _What did he want to tell me…?_

April rushed down the stairs, combing her hair. June gave her a puzzled look- it was semi-perfect before, was she trying to comb out her embarrassment of getting caught macking with Casey? "What's that look for?" April asked seeing her niece's face. "Oh, like you've never made out before," she said with a mischievous smile. June remained silent and just stared at the ground for a second. "So, are we ready to go?" June asked her Aunt.

"Ready when you are," April said as she picked up her keys.

Casey and Raphael sat on the ledge of the rooftop looking out over the glittering city. "So, Raph, what did you want to talk about?" Casey asked, breaking the silence. "Uh… well, I thought, I dunno, maybe we could go out and play vigilante and bust some skulls tonight or somethin,' you know, for kicks or whatever."

Casey raised an eyebrow and grinned at his friend. "Raph, you suck at lying, dude."

"What?" Raphael said, looking at Casey in surprise. "What am I lying about?! I'm totally serious! I wanna beat some bad guys!"

"Raph," Casey continued, "stop playing tough and spill."

Raphael gritted his teeth and glared at his companion. "Ugh…" he growled, looking down at the busy streets below. "I-- there's nothing to talk about."

"It's about June, isn't it…?"

Raphael's gaze froze, and he felt his heart beating a little faster. "That is it, isn't it…?" Casey asked easily, making sure not to hit his buddy's nerves. Raphael couldn't meet Casey's gaze; he was just too embarrassed. _Here I am, big-bad-Raph, and I can't even look at Casey! CASEY! Grrr! This is ridiculous!_

"Raph, common, it's okay!" Casey laughed a little. "Jeeze! I mean, it's not like a secret or anything, I _totally _saw the way you were looking at her when I popped in- why don't you just talk about it?"

"Shut up, Casey…" Raphael said in a quiet warning voice.

"Dude, it's not that big a-"

"Shut up! It's not that! God! Why does everyone automatically jump to that conclusion?! Yeah, I bet I did look a little mushy in there when I was talking to her- I wanted to make sure she didn't blab that I bloodied her nose!"

Casey's eyes widened, "You… _what?_"

"God, Case, it was an accident! She ran into me and it made her nose bleed- no big deal. You can thank her little 'experiment' for that; it wouldn't have been dark if she hadn't started anything…"

"Raph, what are you talking about?" Casey's voice raising. But Raphael didn't stop. He rose to his feet and started pacing as he spoke, getting more and more irritated as he did. "_Why _does everyone assume I like her or whatever?! I can't stand her! She's so _happy_, and _friendly_, and--and…!"

_Perfect_, he thought. He stopped and just stood there for a moment. His eyes fixed on his feet, his jaw set and fists clenched. "Raph, common man, just chill," Casey said cautiously, "seriously, if you want to… to _vent_ or whatever, you can, dude!"

"Whatever," Raphael growled, "I just wanted to go out and do something with my friend, and look how it turns out… I'm gone," he said, turning and running off, leaping from rooftop to rooftop, never looking back.

"Jeeze…" Casey thought, "what is _up_ with him…?"

"JUNE! Alright!" Mikey greeted her. "I have the most awesome layout for the date! First stop, we go topside and mess around on some arcade games- Dance Dance is fun on the mats and all, but I wanna test your skills on a platform; then we can cruise through a carnival set up in Central Park, and then we head over to Pizza Hut for their all-you-can-eat pizza buffet!"

June's eyes lit up with excitement. "Ooh! Mikey! That sounds amazing! I can't-" she cut herself off, "Uh… Mikey…? Not to sound rude or anything, but how do you expect to get into the carnival and arcade…?"

Michelangelo smiled broadly, "I got that all thought out!" he said, turning and rushing to the family's dinning table. He lifted off a sheet of paper and rushed back over, thrusting it at June. She took it from him and read to herself, and felt the excitement rush back as she read:

CITY IN COSTUME!

ONE NIGHT AND ONE NIGHT ONLY! Game Universe Arcade, Atomic Comics and the Thrillriffic Traveling Carnival Company are teaming up to bring New York City the

BIGGEST!

BADDEST!

MOST BODACIOUS COSTUME CONVENTION _EVER!_

$15 at the entrance- covers admission and game play

Also…

ALL YOU CAN EAT PIZZA!!!!!

Party starts at 9:00 p.m.!

June looked up from the flyer to Michelangelo what stood there, still smiling. "You didn't set this up just for us, did you…?" she asked skeptically.

"No way! It's just a… serendipitous occurrence that seems to have… uh… fallen onto our favor!" Michelangelo said in an almost pre-recorded voice. "Mikey… who told you to say that…?" June laughed.

"Ugh… Donny did…" Michelangelo said, looking a little crest fallen, "'cause he said the same thing you just said when I showed him the flyer, then I made not of his answer just so I could sound smart…"

"Michelangelo," June said kindly, giving the saddened turtle a hug, "'don't go changin' tryin' to please me'," she recited, "'you've never let me down before!'"

Michelangelo looked at her, confusion written all over his face, "…Say _what?_"

June giggled, "Never mind. So, let me guess, your just going in your natural wear?"

"Well, yeah!" Michelangelo said, stepping back and posing, "what costume can top me?"

They both laughed. "Well, we better go if we want to beat the crowds," June advised.

"Yeah, we should. Madamwaselle?" Michelangelo said, trying to sound sophisticated, offering her his hand. She took it, and followed, giggling to herself.

The blaring music and blinding lights that filled Central Park dazzled June. Michelangelo seemed to be glad to be around others his own age without having to worry about his appearance. In fact, many costumed-participants asked for his picture, but he was always sure to have an arm around June's shoulder or neck in the photos.

June didn't need to worry about the fact that she missed out on knicking one of Casey's Red Bulls- Michelangelo kept her on her toes, and she didn't complain. They both dominated on the grand-scale Dance Dance Revolution game the convention had, and they both almost emptied out the pizza buffet by themselves. Finally, they made their way over to the carnival attractions. Michelangelo succeeded in winning her countless stuffed animals at the various booths, and both were thrilled when they were able to take advantage of the bumper cars and other fun rides.

After what seemed like years, both June and Michelangelo started to wind down, and started walking side by said past various costumed individuals and attractions. Suddenly, Michelangelo gasped and looked at June with a big smile on his face. "June! They have a ferris wheel! Sit with me!"

Before she could answer, he took her hand and led her to the line of couples and children waiting in line. Once they got a seat, and the Ferris wheel started spinning, they both sighed in relaxation and content. "You know, June, this has been the best day ever," Michelangelo said, looking over at the city. "I-I've never had so much fun."

June looked at him, smiling sweetly. "Yeah, me too, Mikey."

"June," he said, sounding serious, "I want you to know, that I really do like you… But, if you don't decide to like, be my girlfriend or whatever, I wouldn't mind."

"Mikey…" June said quietly.

"I mean, I really do like you and all, but I think you would be a funner gaming friend and all that. And plus, I've seen _Dawson's Creek_- I know how complicated relationships can get."

June laughed at Michelangelo's comparison. "Are you sure that's what you want?" June asked, smiling uncertainly at him once her giggling subsided.

"Yeah- I think I would be much happier if you were my girl friend, and not my girlfriend. Is that okay…?" he asked, looking a little worried.

June smiled at her friend, "Yeah its okay, Mikey." She gave him a hug to make him feel better, and for the remainder of the night, they both laughed and joked like good friends.

April was already waiting for them when they returned from the carnival. "Hey you guys! Have fun?" She asked.

"Yeah we did!" June and Michelangelo said at the same time. They both smiled at one another, and then smiled back at April. "Well, it definitely sounds that way," April laughed. "Well, I guess I better get going," June said, looking back at Mikey. "I'll see you around, okay?"

"Yeah! Definitely! Later, June!" He said, giving her a good-bye hug.

June and April both walked into the fully lit living room of the apartment. Casey sat on the couch waiting for them. "Uh, April? June? We need to talk."

April paused and looked at Casey. "Casey? What's wrong?"

"Raph and I… I guess, had a conversation and I gotta ask June some stuff."

April turned and looked at her equally surprised niece. "June," Casey started, "what happened the night you and Leo had that dinner…?"

June looked from Casey to April. "Well…" she started, moving over to the sofa next to Casey, April close behind her. "Leo was going to make some oolong tea, and he had the water boiling in the kitchen for it, and when it was done I went to get it to be traditional. It was really dark, and when I turned around to head back, I ran into Raphael and hit my nose on his chest and it started bleeding."

"And what happened after that?" April asked, intrigued by the story.

"He was really cool about it, he helped make it stop and stuff. He was really sweet about it. Why do you guys ask?"

"Well, Raph just threw a tantrum today and he mentioned bloodying your nose so I got a little, well, worried." Casey explained.

"Well, nice of you to let us know," April said, "jeeze, it could have been broken!"

"Aunt April, I trusted Raphael's judgment when he said it wasn't busted," June said seriously. "But that's what happened."

"Well, just as I thought," Casey said, smiling to himself. "I totally busted him…"

"What?" June and April both asked, looking a little confused.

"Don't worry about it," Casey smiled. "It's like, past 1 anyway, June- you should catch some z's."

"Cha, no problem with that one," June agreed. She stood and went up the stairs toward her room. "'Night, guys!"

"'Night!" April called after her. Then she turned to Casey, a questioning look on her face. "Casey… what did you mean by 'don't worry about it'?"

"Well April," Casey said, using a mock explanation tone, "sometimes what goes on between guys is better left between guys." He kicked back on the sofa and smiled at her. "Besides, I think it would be better to just see how this whole dating thing flows out- wouldn't want me to spoil the fun or anything, would you…?"


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

_Alright,_ Donatello thought as he slid one more book onto a shelf, _that should do it…! _ He stepped back and looked around him. It had only taken a few hours to clean up his room and make it presentable, but it had _really_ taken some work to get it fancied-up. He had placed candles in old-fashioned glass lamps to set the mood, found a small table to place in the middle of the room, with a small bonsai tree sitting in the center.

He heard a sound from the living room. _That must be her…_, he thought, turning to face his doorway. He straightened himself up for a moment, and then realized he wasn't quite done yet. "Ah! Oh man, I gotta finish really fast! Ugh!" He dashed from one corner of the room to another, randomly picking up objects that could be considered out of place. Just as he picked up the last bit of 'that-don't-go-there,' a voice rang through the room, "Hey Donny!"

Donatello whirled around, dropping a few things in surprise. "Oh! Uh-uh-um, Hi, June! I was uh… well, you see, I was um…." he said nervously, his cheeks turning a darker shade of green.

"Here, let me help you," June said, walking over to Donatello. She knelt down and picked up some random doo-dads and a few pieces of paper when Donatello knelt down across from her, still laden with other bits and pieces. "June, you really don't have to help," Donatello said gallantly. "Oh, it's no problem," she answered with a smile, "besides, you look pretty weighed down." "Uh… yeah…" he answered a little sheepishly. June just smiled. It was just too cute the way he tried to be all noble and dream-boy-ish. "Well," she said, standing up and offering her his hand, "Let's throw these away, shall we?"

"Yes, let's," she replied.

"Sorry about that, June," Donatello said as they re-entered his room. "That was kind of embarrassing and all; being caught with trash in my arms."

"Oh, it's no big deal," June said reassuringly, "My room's a bit messy at times, too, so really, there's no reason for you to worry about it!"

Donatello smiled a little and nodded. "Yeah, I guess your right…"

"So Donny," June said, sitting one of the chairs that Donatello had set out, "what's the plan for this evening?"

"Well, to be honest," Donatello said, making his way over to a table on the opposite side of the room, "I thought we just chill out and talk while using THIS!" he said, lifting a box for June to see. "Hey! A cappuccino machine! How cool!!" Donatello smiled broadly. "Glad you approve! Now, which would you prefer first; caramel mocha or English toffee?"

June and Donatello sat for hours, just drinking cappuccino and discussing anything and everything, from books to movies, to the newest trends and so forth.

"I, honestly don't understand the whole 'pants-past-the-butt-showing-off-the-boxers' style that guys think is so cool these days!" June said, digging deeper into their current topic, "to me, it doesn't say 'I'm-a-playa-and-I'm-so-cool,' it's more of a 'I'm-too-lazy-to-pull-up-my-pants,' you know?"

"Well, to be honest, I've never had to really had to worry about wearing pants, let alone the current trends and all that," Donatello laughed.

"True, but I mean, an intellectual guy like you must have _some_ stand point on it…" June said, a tad flirtatiously. She paused for a moment, a strange look overcoming her face. It was as if she had shocked herself by saying it. Donatello, who was too busy blushing to notice, continued, "Well, since you put it that way, I guess it is pretty stupid, huh?"

June gave her head a quick shake to clear her thoughts and then continued as nothing had happened. "It so is! And you know what really gets on my nerves with that style? The guys who wear their pants past their butts and then put belts on. I mean, common!"

"Heh, yeah…" Donatello said trailing off a bit.

June looked at him, a little worried. "Donny? You okay? For like, the last few minutes it's like your head is elsewhere- what's up?"

Donatello looked into his cup of half-empty cappuccino. "Uh.. Well… Could I ask you a question, June…? A few actually, to be honest; but could I ask you…?"

June tilted her head slightly and smiled. "Of course, Donny! Ask away!"

He said quiet for a moment, and then asked, "June, how did your dates go with my brothers…?" This question surprised June a bit; it took her a while to get her answer together. "Well, I thought they went well, in all actuality-"

"You can be honest with me, June," Donatello said warmly, "this is all just between you and me."

June looked at Donatello again with a bit of surprise. He was being so nice about all of this, and she felt like she could really open up to him and her secrets would be safe. "Well… I really don't know what to say to something so… so… blunt!"

"Well, what did you think of your date with Leo?"

June paused, remembering what had happened, and what she should say. "Well, it was really nice, actually. But… I dunno… it was kind of boring…"

"Really?" Donatello said, a little surprised, "I thought you would have found it interesting."

"Well, not to be rude or anything, but I've lived in Japan for a good portion of my life- it was nothing really new, ya know?"

"You do have a point… Well, then this won't come as much of a shock to you-"

"What won't come as much of a shock?" June said, taken a little off-guard at the mention of something not being much of a shocker.

"Well, Leo has decided your not the girl for him."

June's eyes grew, and her jaw dropped slightly. "Wha-what? What's that supposed to mean…?!"

"Well, he and I were talking about your date the other day, actually, and he mentioned how you ran off for a while during the date."

June's blood ran cold for a moment. "I… I had to go to the bathroom! Aunt April had given me a bite of her gyro and it didn't agree with me!" _Real smooth, June… _she thought to herself, _go ahead and blame Greek food…_

"Well, whatever the reason, he sort of lost patience, though he didn't show it- Leo doesn't really like waiting, surprisingly enough. It's one of those few traits that actually link him to his other brothers." June smiled sheepishly when she heard this. "And another thing," Donatello continued, "is he's more attracted to Asian girls, believe it or not," he said sarcastically. "I mean, he has this _big_ thing for Ayumi Hamasaki, so don't feel too bad about it."

"Surprisingly enough, I don't feel bad about it at all," said June, sounding slightly relieved. "I mean, I always saw him as sort of too… straight-forward, you know?"

"Well, he is our strong and solemn leader," Donatello added.

June laughed, "Yeah, your right."

"And what about Mikey?"

"Well, we really did have a lot of fun, but in the end we decided we would be much happier as friends."

"Really?" Donatello asked interestedly, "So that's why you two were so buddy-buddy-like after the date…"

"Yeah. He decided that having a girlfriend would be fun and all, but not as fun as having a girl friend."

"Did he now…" Donatello said, going back to his thoughts. "Well, I guess me and Mikey have the same train of thought going."

"Donny…?" June asked, "you only see me as a friend, too?"

"I'm sorry, June.. It's just… no offense or anything, but as far as 'love' goes with me, I'm more in love with that computer you gave me. Ooooh… sweet, sweet technology…" He said.

June, despite the fact that she had just learned that she had been turned down by three of the four brothers, felt a sort of release, as well as a growing happiness that she herself couldn't quite explain.

"Look, I'm really sorry, June…" Donatello continued once June went silent, "I mean, it must be hard now that three of us have turned you down, but-"

Just as he said that, June jumped up and hugged him. "Donny! I'm so glad you don't see me as girlfriend material!"

"Y-you are…?" Donatello asked, a little taken aback.

"Yes! I was hoping we could just be friends, too!"

"Really?" Donatello asked, brightening up a little.

"Yes! And, I don't mean to sound rude or anything, but could I leave this a bit early? There's something I need to take care of…"

"Um… I guess so…" Donatello said sounding a little crestfallen. Then, his head snapped up and looked at June. "Hey, June?! You wouldn't happen to have the time, would you?"

June pulled out her trusty cell phone and looked at the screen. "Sure do- it's 4:49. Why? Somewhere you need to be?"

Donatello jumped to his feet. "Sure do! I have a guild meeting in World of Warcraft in a few minutes! Sorry to be cutting this short and all," Donatello said absentmindedly, rushing past her, "but this is really important- I could totally become a high level mage soon! We should do this again sometime- bye!"

June stood and looked out the doorway where Donatello had just hustled out of. "Wow… that guy really _does _love his computer…" She then made her way out of Donatello's room and made her way toward a room that was nearby, blaring what sounded like angry rock music. As she got closer, she recognized the music, and smiled to herself. _I had a feeling you wouldn't be far off…_ June thought to herself with a smile. She poked her head around the doorway and looked inside.

There, pounding away on a punching bag was Raphael. He was beating away to the sounds of a Hinder beat- one on the CD June had made him. With every hit he made, he seemed to be letting out some sort of emotion. Just as he was about to throw another blow, June's voice spoke above the rock and roll. "Hey," she said, coming into full view. Raphael froze, amazed to see her in his doorway.

_No way…_ Raphael thought, _she found my room…!_

"I thought this would be your room," June said, as if she had just read his mind. "The music was a dead give away."

"Oh yeah?" Raphael said snidely, "Well, doesn't that make you just the little Sherlock Holms…"

June decided not to give the remark any acknowledgement and continued. "You'll never believe what just happened," she said, a little breathlessly.

"What?" Raphael said, trying to block her out by taking up his punching again.

"Your brothers all just turned me down!" she replied, smiling.

Raphael froze again, his head snapping to the side to look at her with wide eyes. _No way!_ He thought, _All _three _of them…?! That must mean… _

"What? They couldn't stand your perkiness either?" he said rudely.

"No," she answered, beginning to feel a little upset. "They just all thought I would make a better friend."

Raphael couldn't peel his eyes away from her. He noticed that his last remark had scratch her happy-go-lucky surface, but he still saw that she was okay with all that had just happened with her brothers. In fact, she seemed _happy _about it. "So… that means it's my turn for a date…?" he said, quietly.

"Yes," June replied just as quietly.

_It's almost like she wants to go out with me… What is her deal?! There is no way she likes me! Not after the way I treat her, and all that.. No way… _

"Well, sorry chick, but I'm not interested in any date."

June's eyes grew a little, and she felt a small burning sensation in her throat. "You… you don't…?"

"No way- I got better things to do with my time."

"Oh, like what? Hide in your room all day listening to the CD _I_ made you on the stereo _I_ gave you and punch your little moody heart out, and then have the nerve to put me down like I'm some sort of _verbal _punching bag?! Who do you think you are?!" June shouted at him, tears welling up in her eyes.

Raphael's eyes grew larger as well. Shock and surprise were written all over his face. His mouth tried to form words, but nothing was able to come out. However, June hadn't finished her retaliation yet.

"Who do you think you are?! I come here all the way from California trying to be nice to you and actually gain some friends, and here you are; High and Mighty Raphael- too good to come off of his high horse and join the rest of us down here on Earth!"

Raphael then looked a little concerned. "Gain some friends…? What do you mean gain some friends…?"

June laughed bitterly, blinking back some more tears. "What do you _think_ I mean…? My dad is a big business man, so it's only fitting that he drags me and my mom around like his match luggage. Do you know how many school's I've been in since I started school? 35! I have had _no_ chance to make _any_ friends. And here I am, too scared to tell my Aunt that I'm not the social butterfly and boy-slayer she believes I am, and way too chicken to tell you guys the truth. Don't you get it?! I am a total liar! I have no spine whatsoever!"

"June…" Raphael said quietly. He began to feel ashamed- _really ashamed_ for how he had been acting to her. _I'm such a low life…_ he thought.

"Yeah! That's right! I'm a wuss! You can go ahead and use that as new June-Bashing material if you want!"

"June… I'm sorry…" Raphael said sincerely. "I don't want to bash you anymore…"

"Oh, right," June said, her voice breaking. "Look, you don't have to go and apologize because I'm making you feel bad or whatever. I just came in here to tell you I was looking forward to our date, but you know, whatever."

_She was looking forward to it?! Then that means-!_ "June, I'm sorry…!"

"Whatever," she said, turning and walking away. She slowly made her way down the hallway and to the main room. Her tears were flowing freely now, and she didn't care. The other turtles weren't around, so she didn't have to worry about hiding anything anymore. She paused momentarily and pulled out her cell phone. She dialed her Aunt's cell number and waited for her to pick up.

"Hello?" April's voice answered.

June cleared her throat and replied, "Aunt April? It's June. Hey, where are you now?"

"I'm actually about to head over to the Wok Express for lunch. Why?"

"Are you close enough to the guys' house to pick me up? Donny had something to do, so we're done."

"Oh yeah, no problem, I'll be there in two minutes. Bye!"

June just hung up. She put her cell phone back in her pocket and slowly made her way to the ladder that lead to the outside world. She waited for exactly one minute, and then she started to make her way up. She took hold of the side of the ladder and ascended the first two steps. As she was about to move up, she felt a hand around her wrist. She looked down, startled, to see Raphael standing beneath her, looking up at her with sad, worried eyes.

"June," he said, his own voice sounding upset, "I am so sorry for the way I have treated you. I would really like to make it up to you. How about a date, this Saturday at 3 P.M.?"

"Raph…" June said quietly, tears starting to well again.

"Please… I really want to make it up to you."

June smiled through her tears. "Sure… I'll give you another shot…"


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

"Man, I dunno if I can do this…" Raphael said as he paced nervously back and forth. "I mean, the last time I talked to her, I made her cry! What kind of guy would do that?!"

"Well, you got a good point," Donatello said, digging through the random piles of junk lying around Raph's room. "Why a smart girl like June is doing giving a jerk like you a second chance is way beyond me."

"That's right! I totally ag- hey!"

"Well, I mean, I guess it's only fair that she gives the last brother a date, but the way you treated her _was _pretty bad, dude," Michelangelo piped in from Raphael's bed.

"I know, alright! I get it! I'm a jerk! I totally understand that- but she gave me a second shot and I'm going for it," Raphael said seriously. "The only problem is-"

"You can't say anything nice to a girl without making her tear up?" Michelangelo interjected.

"No! It's just-"

"Your unable to show normal emotions and therefore hide behind a veil of sarcasm and distain?" Donatello threw in.

"NO! I… I don't know what we're gonna do…!"

Donatello and Michelangelo looked at each other and then back at Raphael. "That's _it?_" Michelangelo whooped, "I thought it was something really serious or something!"

"Well, I guess it is _kind _of serious on some level," Leonardo said as he entered Raphael's room holding his brother's dusty fedora.

"Yeah? How come?" Michelangelo asked.

"Well, think about it- we all had time to plot out what our romantic move would be, and as usual, Raph got all moody and put it off to the literal last moment."

"Guys, just leave me alone!" Raphael whined. "I don't know criticism, I need ideas!"

"Well…" Donatello thought, "Why don't you let June decide?"

"What?" Raphael, Leonardo and Michelangelo asked at the same time.

"Think about it, guys. We all basically drug her along in whatever we wanted to do and she just sort of went along with it. Instead, why doesn't Raph let _her_ choose; it could possibly mend some of the tension between them, and make her feel like she's actually got a friend who cares about her opinion and is willing to do what she wants to do."

All of the brothers stood silent, nodding as Donatello's explanation sunk in. "Not a bad idea, Donny- I'm liking it!" Leonardo said, smiling.

"Well, Raph?" Michelangelo asked, "Is it worth a shot?"

"Is what worth a shot?"

The boys all turned around to see June standing in the doorway, smiling as usual.

"June, how is it you are able to pop in whenever we are discussing something involving you?" Donatello asked.

"Eh, just lucky I guess," she answered nonchalantly. "So, Raph- you ready?"

"He sure is!" Donatello said, finally finished with his rummaging. He stood holding Raphael's old trench coat. "He's got his coat and hat and is ready to go out the door! Well, manhole, but whatever."

Raphael grabbed his coat from Donatello and his hat from Leonardo and slowly shuffled to June's side. _Okay, Raph,_ he thought to himself, _You've fought blood-thirsty bad guys, maniacal weirdos and monsters out the wazoo- this should be a piece of cake._

He finally reached June's side. He looked down at her and smiled shyly. "Uh, hiya, June…" he said nervously. June just gave him a small smile and looked away. "Hi, Raph…"

_OH NO!!!_ Raph thought, his mind reeling, _she's still upset about yesterday! She won't even _look_ at me!! What am I gonna do?! Man, I shouldn't have been such a jerk! Ugh, this is torture!! If she won't even look at me, who knows how this thing will go?! It's bad enough that I can't figure out what to do to try and make things go easier and for her to forgive me, but now the _silent treatment_?! Oh man, oh man, oh MAN! Whaddam I gonna do. Whaddam I gonna do, whaddam I gonna do, whatddam I gonna do, whaddam I gonna d-_

"So what are we gonna do, Raph?" June asked, breaking him out of his panicked frenzy.

"Huhwah?!" Raphael responded, still a little shaken.

"Raph, go ahead and tell June what you had planed for the evening," Leonardo goaded through gritted teeth.

"Uh… I thought we could…. Uh, do what you wanted to do…!" Raphael said absentmindedly. "Yeah! Yeah! We're gonna do whatever you want to do!" Raphael said, trying to sound proactive, but came out sounding perky. Michelangelo snickered, and his brother shot him a death glare. "But that's what I thought we could do," he said to June, calming down, "If that's alright with you, of course."

June looked at him, emotion and gratitude in her eyes. She smiled a little, "That would be amazing… Thank you, Raph."

_BOO YAH!!! Donny's idea WORKED!_ Raph thought happily, _this is going to make things MUCH easier!_

"Well, you guys better get going! Time's a-tickin' away!" Leonardo said, gently guiding them toward one of the living room and many different exit options. "Uh, Raph, could we go see a movie first? It's cooler in the theaters and all, and there's a flick that you and I should like."

"Sure," Raphael said, slipping on his trench coat, and giving her a warm smile, "like I said- whatever you want to do is cool with me."

June felt her cheeks burning and turned away for a moment to compose herself. "You ready?" Raphael asked, placing his fedora on his green head. At the sound of his voice a great deal of her resolve melted away. "Uh, yeah…!" she said shyly.

They walked a good ways down the sewers before either of them said anything. "So… uh… June, you up for dinner?" Raphael asked, trying to break the tension that surrounded them.

June thought for a moment. "You know, Raph," she said, "I have gotten a pretty good idea what your brothers' favorite dishes are, but I don't really know what yours is… I've seen the others devouring pizza like there's no tomorrow, but you don't seem as gung ho as they do with it."

Raphael looked down at her with surprise. She noticed that much about them? Scratch that- _him._ And here he was- too stuck on himself to notice anything about her. "Well, I'm actually more of a cereal and milk kind of guy- too bad they don't have a restaurant for that, huh?"

There was a pause. June stopped walking and fell behind a bit in distance before Raphael noticed. "Hey June, what's wrong?"

June looked at him and smiled, "You like cereal, huh?"

"Uh… yes?" Raphael said, unsure of how to answer.

June smiled broadly, "I know just the place!"

About thirty minutes and fourteen blocks later, June raised a manhole cover and climbed to the surface. "June, I thought the guys were supposed to get the doors and heavy metal covers for the girls! What's the deal?"

"It's a surprise! I can't exactly let you see it, now can I?"

"Well… I guess not, but…" Raphael answered. Once June was completely out, Raphael poked his head out of the hole. June knelt beside the manhole and smiled at Raph, waiting to see his reaction. Across the street from where the manhole lay, was a large building with a huge, bright blue neon sign reading "Cereality." Raphael's eyes opened wide when he saw it. "How did I never know this was here…?"

"You ever tell Casey you like cereal?" June asked.

"No," Raphael said simply.

"Well, then I guess you wouldn't know about it- Casey practically lives here. Well, here an Aunt April's fridge; but he's the one who introduced me to it."

"So, this is a restaurant-"

"Completely dedicated to cereal," June finished for him.

Quickly, Raphael scrambled out of the manhole, replaced the cover and headed for Cereality, June at his side. Once they got in, Raphael's eyes grew even bigger behind his red mask. There in front of them, were tons of people lined up at what looked like a buffet full of nothing but different types of cereal, mixing and matching to make their ideal bowl. Luckily no one paid all that much attention to the big guy in the trench and fedora, but June didn't want to take any chances, so she took care of paying for their meals while Raphael stood in the doorway like a kid in a candy store, and then they made their way forward. There was every kind of cereal imaginable, and so many things you could put into your cereal; like marshmallows, sprinkles, fruits, syrups to change the flavor of the milk, not to mention the different selections of milk would have put any dairy to shame. After Raphael had created his meal, they made their way over to their table to eat. "Well," June said when Raphael sat down with a huge grin on his face, "looks like you just found a diamond in the rough, huh?"

"You know it," Raphael said as he started to shovel his cereal concoction, which consisted of yogurt covered Cherrios, granola clusters, various corn and bran flakes, strawberries and star shaped sprinkles with bright red milk, compliments of the strawberry sauce he poured over his cereal; into his eagerly awaiting mouth. Once he was done, they both just sat for a moment drinking some orange juice.

After a while, June broke the silence. "Hey Raph, you know your way around the city pretty well, right?"

"Yeah, more or less," he answered. "Why ya ask?"

"Good," June said standing up, "then I guess you won't mind if we just wander around a bit, right? It'll work off your cereal and give us both a chance to breath some air that doesn't stink or smell like Trix."

"Uh… I guess we could…" he answered, unsure of what he was getting himself into.

Luckily for them, Cereality wasn't far away from Central Park, which was were June was headed. The sun was completely set and the moon could be seen through the trees. Both June and Raphael walked on in another awkward silence. They just wandered through the park side by side. Eventually, the silence became too much for Raphael, and he decided to just get it all over with.

"June, there's something I-"

"Raph, I gotta-" June interrupted. They both just looked away shyly. "Raph, I gotta apologize," June continued. "I'm… I'm sorry I lied so much to you guys. I mean, I don't really have much room to toy around with what friends I have, and you and your brothers are so nice… I'm really, _really_ sorry!"

"Wait wait wait wait," Raphael said, trying to see where she was coming from. "How much exactly have you been lying?"

"Well… Remember Leonardo's date-of-choice?"

"Yeah, Japanese cuisine, why?"

"Well, most of the stuff he had I couldn't stand- I really don't like sushi and miso soup and all that stuff."

"Are you kidding me?! That was like, all he had because you said-"

"I liked it, I know."

"Well, what about Mikey's date?"

"A comic-convention in the park is fun and all, but all of that pizza… ugh…"

"Now you know how I feel… But what about Donny?"

"I just totally fudged my way through that intellectual conversation. I had no idea what he was talking about!"

"That's so bad it's… actually pretty ironic…"

"I know… right?"

Raphael grew a bit more somber, and his eyes looked a little sad once June saw them, "So, how much have you been lying to me…?" he asked quietly.

June looked at the ground. "Well… I-" Just then, the sound of laughter and baby talk could be heard coming out of the darkened park. Both June and Raphael turned quickly and looked behind them. Coming down the darkened sidewalk was a man and a woman, obviously dating, and obviously buzzed. They were both looking into one another's eyes and talking absolute mushy-gushy gibberish to one another. "June, let's go somewhere a bit more private," Raphael said, taking her hand in his. He lead her a little way off of the path and scanned the area. To his left he saw a bench that looked out over a small hill and dried stream bed, and right underneath that was a metal grate. _Where there's a grate, _Raphael thought,_ there's gotta be something to hide in._ "Common," Raphael said when he saw the man and woman getting closer. He and June ran down the small hill and just as he had hoped, there was a large culvert right above the dried stream bed. "Thank God," Raphael said, "it hasn't rained here in forever so the culvert should be mostly dry."

"Well that's good," June said when she saw it. Then, she felt large hands on her waist. The next thing she knew was she had been turned around, lifted off of the ground, and placed gingerly on he edge of the culvert, her legs hanging down. Just as quickly, Raphael's fedora and trench coat flew past her, and he hopped up beside her and smiled. "It got hot," he said with a smile. June was about to say something, but Raphael quickly put a finger to his mouth. They stayed quiet as they heard the drunken couple draw closer. Raphael looked up and saw the grate that lay underneath the bench was almost directly above them. Both he and June watched as the couple sat on the bench and continued arguing over who loved who more in their almost deafeningly loud baby-gab.

"Well, so much for getting away from 'em, huh?" Raphael said with a smile.

"Yeah," June replied.

"Well, obviously they're involved in… whatever it is they're doing," Raphael said, "and they don't seem to be interested in anything else, so go ahead with what you were saying."

June looked at her feet, drew in a deep breath, and continued, "Well… What I was gonna say about me lying to you and all was… well… I know this is going to be really corny or whatever and I really am sorry, but I haven't lied to you at all. You just seem like… someone I don't have to lie to, you know? It's like, your so upfront about how you feel about things, so why should I have to hide it, right?"

"Uh… yeah… th-that's true…" Raphael giggled nervously. If she had any idea to how much he had been lying, she probably wouldn't be spilling right now.

"From the moment I met you, Raph," she continued, looking into his eyes, "I knew I could be myself around you. I just felt like you and I had a lot in common- even if it didn't show."

"Listen, June, I'm not exactly as straight forward as you think," Raphael explained. "The truth is, I've been acting like a jerk ever since you showed up because I don't want anyone to know that I'm not totally macho. And I'm really sorry about the way I treated you the other night… That was way out of line…"

"Raph…" June said, blushing a little.

"Seriously, it was. And I would understand completely if you were still mad at me," he continued, looking out at the park.

June smiled and felt a lump growing in her throat. Just at that moment, a cloud moved and exposed the moon. The pale light illuminated the small area in the park where they sat. The leaves of the trees swayed in the breeze that blew through the park. Over the trees the lights of the city looked like neon stars so close you could reach out and grab them. Both Raphael and June became quiet again as the looked out. The two people above them also had grown quiet and started kissing. "I guess the moon does that to people…" June said to no one in particular.

She looked at Raphael who was still looking at the park. He looked so sad, as if he had just committed a crime, and seemed honestly upset for what he had done. June reached out and put her hand on his solid shoulder. He looked up at her in surprise.

"Raph," she said in a sincere voice, "I'm not mad at you- I don't think I ever could be; especially for something I did, too."

After her statement, Raphael felt a little lump growing in his throat as well. June studied his face for a second; the partial light that got into the culvert made his dark green skin look paler and not as intense as it normally was. His chocolate colored eyes were illuminated, and she imagined hers were, too. Strange as it was, she felt herself falling for a huge mutant turtle. But why should she care? He was a really sweet person underneath his tough outer shell- literally! She smiled at him, and scooted closer. She felt his arm tense a bit as she got closer. He looked at her with surprise. "June- wha…?"

"Raph, I know this may or may not be a shock for you, but I really like you." Then she simply rested her head on his shoulder and put her hand in his. "Like I said," she continued, "I felt a connection with you when I first met you. You won me over, ya big dork." As she said that, he laughed to himself, and slowly began to relax, and spoke, "June, I really like you, too. I mean, _really _like you. When you first told us about the dating idea, I was really happy-

"Even though you acted like a total jerk," June interrupted jokingly.

"Yeah, I know… but I was really happy."

June lifted her head and watched Raphael as he spoke. "Raph, I'm really glad. I am really really glad…" she said.

Raphael looked down into her eyes, and June looked into his. Slowly, they drew closer to one another. Raphael paused, "June, I've uh... Never done this before…"

June smiled, "Neither have I… But I'd love to start with you." Raphael smiled, and moved in for the kiss. Slowly, they pulled away and smiled at one another. Then, June laid her head back on his shoulder, and Raphael laid his head on hers.

Two weeks passed after Raphael's and June's date. June had come clean to the other boys, and thankfully all was forgiven. Eventually, the time for June to go back to California came. April had driven to the boy's house to let them all say their goodbyes before June had to catch her flight. They all gathered in the living room, April and Raphael on either side of June.

"Man, I'm gonna miss you guys," June said, "I've never had so much fun!"

"Your telling me!" Michelangelo said.

"Yeah, it's too bad you have to be leaving so soon," Leonardo said, "it's almost like you just got here!"

"Well, there is always next summer, right June?" Donatello asked hopefully.

"Common guys, June's got a crazy home-life," Raphael said, "the best we can do is hope, right?"

"Well, luckily I talked to my sister the other day," April said, "and June has the okay to visit during Thanksgiving, Christmas _and_ summer break this year because she and June's dad have business appointments during those times."

"Are you serious?!" Raphael shouted happily.

"That kinda sucks, though…" Michelangelo said sadly, " June not being able to spend time with her folks…"

"Yeah, but I'll get time to spend with Aunt April and Casey- and you guys too!"

"Well, I guess it's not completely sucky," Michelangelo said with a big smile.

Raphael smiled at June and she smiled back. "Well guys, it's time to say your fond farewells," April said as she looked at her watch. All of the boy's shouted their goodbyes except for Raphael. He turned to face her and smiled down. "Well, I guess this is goodbye for now, right?"

"Yeah, for now," June agreed.

"I'll have to get Donny to let me use his computers sometime to e-mail you or something. He has your address, right?"

"Yup, all you gotta do is ask."

"It's been fun…"

"Yeah… it sure has…"

"Aww… didn't I see this scene in _Casablanca_?" Donatello chided. "_Casablanca,_ huh?" Raphael replied in a mischievous voice, "Well, I guess you would have seen this too then, huh?" With that, he wrapped his arms around June and planted a big, romantic, Hollywood-style kiss on her. Donatello's jaw dropped along with Michelangelo's, Leonardo's and April's. Raphael slowly released her and smiled. June's cheeks shown bright red, but she just smiled back. He let her go and ruffled her hair fondly. "Here's looking' at you, kid," he said. "See you this fall."

THE END 

_Be sure to check out my upcoming fan fictions, too! _

_Thanks for reading and hope you enjoyed!_

_Psychic Creed11_


	9. Chapter 9

_Minna-san hisashi buri! _(Long time no see everyone!)

Okay, so I know this says I just posted a Chapter 9-- well, I lied.

However, instead of a new chapter for this story, I'm gonna tell you about the latest chapter for the character of June!

So, since I finished this story a couple of years ago, I have been getting lots of comments and even more e-mails from people who have read my story and liked it and let me just say, I'm honored, really! And I'm really glad I could write something so many of you would like! And a lot of you guys have been asking if I would make a sequel to "June."

At first, I thought it wouldn't be such a good idea- I mean, the turn out for this story was MORE than I expected, and I was so happy with it's success; why push it with a sequel? But the more I thought of it, the more I played with the idea. And around the time I was playing with ideas, I went out and bought the TMNT Soundtrack, being the Turtle fan that I am (I must say, you should all check into it- it's a pretty kick ass soundtrack) and one track I liked above the others: "Roses" by Meg and Dia.

Well, the more I listened to it, I realized the lyrics don't really make sense. Not to me, at least. But a couple of lines in the song really stuck in my head, and the music was great- I could feel the passion and vulnerablility. So I started to use that as a premise for my new story... (I suggest you all going out and listening to it- it's a great song and honestly, it's gonna make the new story a lot easier to "feel").

So please, keep an eye out for my newest story, and the sequel to "June"-- "Roses Bloom In June."

Thank you guys so much for reading, and I hope I won't disappoint! *fingers crossed*

PsychicCreed11


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